American Silver Goblet

Object Details

Object Essay

There is a linear elegance inherent in American neoclassical silver; this graceful goblet is a good example of that style. Only the script lettering of the inscription provides contrast to the mirror-like surface. All of Henry Farnam’s surviving work is in the pristine, unadorned neoclassical manner represented here.  

During the Federal period, goblets, single or in pairs, were favorite forms for prizes and presentation gifts. The specific occasion marked by the gift of this goblet has been forgotten, even though James Hewitt was a well-known American musician who composed an alternative tune for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” in 1816, two years after the poem was written by Francis Scott Key. Hewitt’s tune was briefly popular but faded into obscurity during the 1820s; American have continued to struggle with the melody of the old English drinking song, “Anacreon in Heaven,” for our national anthem.^{1_{Filby and Howard, 133–35.}}  

Henry Farnam was born in Norwich, Connecticut, and it is likely that he and his brother Rufus (1771–1820) were apprenticed to Joseph Carpenter (1747–1804), an important silversmith and patriot of that town. Norwich was a fairly important center and seems to have produced an unusual number of craftsmen, but it could not support them all, and both Henry and Rufus Farnam left to practice their trade elsewhere. Henry’s documented career was spent in Boston, where he advertised or was listed in city directories intermittently between 1798 and 1816. In the latter year, he was in partnership with Richard Ward.^{2_{Buhler 1979, 65–67.}}

Jennifer F. Goldsborough

Excerpted from Clement E. Conger, et al. Treasures of State: Fine and Decorative Arts in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. Department of State. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1991.